出入平安
by Peridot Tears
Summary: There were brothers that grew up before Japan; China could only choke on them, instead of love them. Three Kingdoms fic.
1. 三国

_Disclaimer: Oh hi, Mark. _

...

Yao's earliest days were spent in war—corruption and culture, and whichever came first; it was a long life he was to live, and the earliest chapters easily became a mess of blood, tears, and steel—once more, whichever came first. Even later, they were confusing, and still stark. They were slashed with blood, and sweat, and whatever else.

San Guo Yan Yi, say the words, stamped across the book; San Guo Yan Yi, they say, up to this day; San Guo Yan Yi, they echo, and whisper for years and years.

San Guo Yan Yi, for nothing but a giant wave, to come and crush him.

China still remembered much, surprisingly—but he remembered much for one so old; as he fingers the writing, the hanzi stroked across the surface of his rice paper, the red lines crossed beneath them—blazing, glistening black glows in the candlelight: San Guo Yan Yi.

Is it selfish, to think of the past?—is it selfish, to want it back?—why would he want more war, just for simpler times?—his youth acts as a flimsy excuse. When Rome fell, he stood; he stayed, and is still here. How many exactly has he outlived?

Nostalgia coos at him, and he closes his eyes; quickly, he lets more ink seep into his brush, sucking at the hairs; just as quickly, his hand glides over the paper, brush striking three characters into the paper; in a frenzy, his early brothers appear on the paper. Flushed, he draws his sleeve back, so that his cuffs would not touch the sheet.

But they are a part of him, haunting—he murmurs their names, those arguing siblings, that fell faster than he could see, faster than he could tell.

Wei.

Wu.

Shu.

...

**_PT: Finally decided to start my Three Kingdoms fic. :3 Hey, I'm so clearly a Three Kingdoms freak, you should've seen it coming xD And I'm working on a Mancheng Jindai Huangjinjia fic, but that won't be out anytime soon. ...Wait a year :3 –shot-_**

**_- San Guo Yan Yi is Romance of Three Kingdoms. One of the Four Classical Novels of China. Quite a thing in my childhood—I watched the ninety-five version when I was younger. Four :'D Yes. A four year old watching people slice each others' heads off._**

**_- Red Cliff. It helped a lot with this—hell, I'm watching it right now. Seriously, watch Red Cliff, both movies—they're incredible :'D And Resurrection of The Dragon—San Guo Zhi Jian Long Xie Jia 8D Those movies are so different, but damn~~ I love those two, they gave me a lot of inspiration on those~_**

**_- Updates will be slow. I've started sophomore year. Ahem. A screened law program I was supposed to be in last year, English Honors, the mere existence of math, Kung Fu, and armed drill practice. They haven't had a chance to eat me alive yet, but it's only a matter of time._**


	2. 上天

_Disclaimer: Oh hi, Johnny. _

...

It happened when the Han Dynasty fell. And not enough for two thousand years ago, this occurred—

Another day, another trial; or, whatever this could be; for if this was heaven, then Yao would be more than happy to cast himself into hell.

And then again, he was probably already in hell.

Oh, and he certainly did try—he tried to speak with the eunuchs. He tried so, so very hard.

He only went as far as shaking his head.

So they went on—stuffing their faces, sweeping their cloaks, puffing their cheeks—and so they went on, the line of emperors, little boys sent by heaven, incompetent men to hog the throne, silent or wailing—half-dead. It sickened Yao, and while he did not expect Qin Shi Huang, he did expect the Han Dynasty to only flourish, until they reached heaven.

But they were beneath heaven...so how...could that be...?

Right. Yao had to remind himself of that.

But he knew by now, that the Mandate of Heaven was fickle; that his life and kingdoms ran in cycles. Why should this be new?

He could feel it, at this time...he could feel another fall. And he dreaded it; for he loved his Han Dynasty. But not the people; not anymore. In the hallway, he passed another withering old man, clutching about, puffing his cheeks; Yao let his eyes slit, and he breathed harshly through his nose, looking about for a window.

He shook his head, cricked his back; he wanted to go outside, for a walk. The air was foul here.

...

**_PT: After the first paragraph, time flies back to around the Han Dynasty. When it neared the end. Corruption 'n' all that good stuff –shot- Just wanted to let you guys know in case that was confusing._**

**_- The chapters will indeed be this short. I'm half-asleep as we speak._**

**_- Also, I'd like to note that the title of this story as a whole is a Chinese saying, pretty much. "Chu ru ping an." I first found it on one of those small hanging banner things dangling from the mirror of my Kung Fu master's car xD_**

**_- THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed, and I apologize greatly for not giving replies to those who have not received any. But I absolutely love you for the time you spared to tell me what you think. –Bows-_**


	3. 下地

_Disclaimer: You are tearing me apart, Lisa!_

...

Yao wrapped the yellow band about his head, and bound it, before staring at his reflection in the man's eyes. He moved his lips, mouthing at the man, hesitation; but again, nothing flew forth, to protest—one look to the side, at the man's family—their shrunken lips, their fried skin, their yellow lids, their clattering bones—and he knew, that he could not say a thing. Nothing against them. He turned about, and the man watched him go, and the man's family watched him go—they could do nothing more, and Yao knew that he could do nothing more, for his starving people.

Oh, he was useless.

He was at the palace when the bonfire began, and the most distant shouts arose, as the peasants—his own bai xing—declared the rebellion. The eunuchs paused in their insistence, for him to shed his peasant clothing; they stared in the distance, small piggy eyes widened to plates, and Yao stood, before moving back outside, small tears seeping from beneath his lids. It was over. His useless self knew, before he heard war shouts in the distance. He fingered the yellow band about his head, wrapped like a snake, as he realized, knew, that the Han Dynasty was over. Thank Heaven, thank Hell...this era was over. The rise had been beautiful, but the fall had been agonizing.

The rise was agonizing now; the next century would be just as agonizing.

Outside, in the courtyard—he tilted his head back and sniffed the most vague scent of smoke, letting it scorch him inside; the air was foul, here, even outside. Outside. But here, it was freer—it still choked, but it was freer; the air was open, and the ash, snared in the breeze, flew by him.

He coughed, and cried, and watched the blue heavens, knowing that those up there had left him to hurt again; then retreated into the palace, to put on his armor.

...

**_PT: Um..."bai xing" is what the common people are called. The term is still used today. Like for my family, of course._**

**_I'm hoping, very hard, that the next chapter would kick off to a more exciting point—more Yao emo, but more events. Ja :)_**


	4. 金红

_Disclaimer: We are expecting!_

...

He slashed and closed his eyes against the blood, the lacquered roses filling him with a rising bile, sparkling hot.

There was one man he had seen the day before—the one who had let him go. He knew he recognized him, because Yao was hard to forget—the face of Zhong Guo would always be there, burning, burning into the mind like a brand on wood; it was set in stone, and the ageless face of Zhong Guo would never fade.

It was at the center. Zhong Guo. The Middle Kingdom.

He destroyed him. His man. And another man. And another. They fell, and he destroyed them. They were to be buried beneath the sand, faceless, as history went. He wiped them away, and though he knew others would weep, they would someday also forget.

Once it was exciting, and for some reason, it still was—the lovely, cordial wind, as he battled the typhoon, fighting, tingling. He killed his people, and he loved it, hated it. Their starved faces were fueled by rage that day.

That day, his weapon returned to him. He screamed at the men, putting them down.

Dead as the dynasty.

Gold and red, they fell, tattered, over the fields.

Zhong Guo.

...

**_PT: ...Nothing to say here, really. I'm already on the next chapter, though. I saw _****_"出入平安"_****_written backwards at my classmate's house the other day. I know that we have a tendency to turn things upside down for wordplay, like, "fu dao." ...But _****_"安平入出"？_****_I don't get it ._. Also, red and gold are, like, the Chinese colors in culture. Ever noticed? When I was younger, I thought the People's Republic flag's colors were based on culture. Then a few years ago I learned about communism..._**


	5. 三头

_Disclaimer: Let's go eat, huh._

...

They introduced themselves.

After the fight.

Yao had looked, with the grim smile he had adopted, at the proclamation—to help put down the Yellow Turban rebellion; his only reply had been to feel at the golden band hidden in his dress, before turning. There was one man, who looked like a leopard, more so that than a man. His eyes were huge and yet small, and fierce. The sight alarmed. The other had long earlobes, long hands, long limbs—a long man, longer than the gods themselves. Another had a long beard that washed down in a silken black veil, phoenix eyes, and a face red as a date.

When Yao saw them, when Yao heard their names, he was drawn; drawn, to their hands stained with blood, just like his; drawn, to the fierce red threads binding them together, dancing invisible; within the next moment, he resolved to never forget who they were.

The way they held each other without touching; like brothers. The way the leopard and the phoenix stepped at either side of the long man; the way they stood, ready to fight. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

When Dong Zhuo denied them after realizing that the soldiers he'd been commending were only peasants, Yao went after him too. The leopard, Zhang Fei, dashed towards him, but Yao knew better—Zhang Fei was checked by his brothers, and Yao slid into Dong Zhuo's tent, unseen.

Details of what happened after make Wang Yao wince even today—for later that night, China was curled up on the ground, not crying but wondering why he let a simpering pig wave him, the nation after the battle, off.

...

**_PT: No, Dong Zhuo did not jump Yao and...yeah. -.-" I'm implying that Yao looked so pathetic trying to reprimand him—and failing in the end—that even today he feels ashamed. Historical notes: Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, and Guan Yu are known to be sworn brothers through the historical novel San Guo Yan Yi; however, there are no historical records of any events binding them as such, though they did say that they definitely were close as brothers. They helped put down the Yellow Turban Rebellion. They fought valiantly, and Dong Zhuo—a fatass official that, once you know more about him, you will hate forever and freaking ever—commended them; however, when they told him they were commoners, he flicked them off with disdain. Zhang Fei wanted very much to kill the bastard, but his brothers held him back._**

**_And yes, Yao letting his own corrupted men pass him by will be a recurring theme._**

**_Also, kudos to anyone who gets where I'm getting my disclaimer lines xD_**


	6. 曹魏

_Disclaimer: Cheep cheep cheep!_

...

The child stared with eyes like stars.

Yao crawled from the dust to meet them. He reached out a hand.

The child took it.

His fingers were small, and cold; blood stained them, and their pruned look gave an appearance...as if the boy had been sucking on them, testing that metallic sweet. Yao swallowed; other children would have cried, had they somehow survived.

This was no ordinary child.

He knew at once—at once, when the shadow of Cao Cao loomed over him, he had already picked the child up and called him Wei. Wei gurgled and stared upwards with eyes shining; it was evident that he would grow up to be intelligent.

And for once, Cao Cao stood silent; China presented Wei to him, saying simply—"This is your kingdom."

With that, Yao brought the child with him when he mounted his horse, Red Hare. The child had been born from corruption and puppets; he was Cao Cao's Wei.

Still, it did not restrain the small, bittersweet smile that curved his lips; strengthening his legs, he released his grip on the reins and bent his head, kissing the little boy on the forehead. "Da Wei Guo, wan sui."

...

**_PT: And so Cao Wei was born. About time I got to the kingdoms, nee? I kind of really wanted to go over Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, and the vague Diao Chan, but I figured that I'd already made everyone wait long enough. I'll mention them, then. The central focus is of the Three Kingdoms, after all._**

**_- Cao Cao was in fact the warlord of the kingdom Cao Wei. He was ruthless, brilliant, and a great poet who treated his men like family. He would easily sacrifice them for a cause, but he still did care for them a great deal. In fact, after one botch-up, he mourned for his best general more than for his dead son. And supposedly he willingly cut down a whole family, and a pregnant concubine or such of the emperor; the former, because he heard a knife in the night and suspected a plot to kill him; the latter, because he though the emperor asked for her to live until the child was born, he stated that the child would then seek revenge on him for his mother's death._**

**_- "Da Wei Guo, wan sui." _****_"Wan sui" means literally "million years" in Mandarin. It's like a "LONG LIVE...THE KING" thing. The whole line here is "Great Wei Kingdom, million years," literally. This is kind of taken from San Guo Zhi Jian Long Xie Jia, though. There was this one scene...a clash between Wei and Shu, and the two soldiers both called their respective kingdoms as such before dying._**


	7. 蜀汉

_Disclaimer: ...she ended up in a hospital on Correro street._

...

To restore the Han.

Yao shook his head and Liu Bei went on, holding Wei in his arms; the boy had a soft little body, though he was growing, and fast. In fact, this was the first time he had left Cao Cao's gaze; Wei gurgled quietly, as though unsure whether or not he should annoy the important men in the room.

Fortunately, he was ignored. Largely. Yao's stoic look encouraged silence; his penchant for young children was known well, once one grew to know him.

Could he...could the Han be restored...?—Liu Bei spoke gently, firmly—hopefully; it was evident that the man would spend his whole life working toward that goal, and Yao took that gratefully. A part of him said that it was over. But now, this seed planted by Liu Bei...this hope grew faster, and now...

Yao's heart skipped a beat.

Could the Han be restored?—was it possible?

Or else...

As he stared and listened, another child waddled towards him; it was tugging at his clothing already when the men pointed, and Wei—

Wei shrieked.

Wei _shrieked._

The quiet boy, who stared with thoughtful eyes like galaxies, who never screamed or cried—Wei shrieked, and pointed at the waddling boy, who looked upwards with gentle, reproachful eyes and took Yao's hand, pressing his brow to it.

"Aiya!" someone said—Guan Yu?—and Liu Bei gasped. But it was Wang Yao who stared silently, before disengaging himself from the boy, gingerly; Wei screamed angrily, as if loathing the child who dared to hold _his _Da Ge's hand. Ignoring him, China picked the boy up and held him close to Wei, who scooted back and continued his cries.

Frowning, China shushed him, and looked towards the others, calling. "Zilong."

Zhao Yun stepped forward, one eyebrow raised; he had been named correctly; Zilong. A dragon...

China gave him Wei, whose cries grew louder; Yao closed his eyes, sighing, for the child would not stop, and he could not be a mother now, not in front of these men...

Bending his head over the new boy, he stared intently at his eyes, as his men whispered the same question behind him—who _was _this boy? He had appeared from thin air.

He bit down on his lip to prevent the gasp from escaping him; no...this could not be...not after Wei...no...

He was divided enough already...

"Tian a!" he breathed. The child whimpered softly, frightened by the outcry. Yao closed his eyes quickly, motherly instincts returning to him; he shook his head, held the stranger close and shifted him, so that he would be a reassuring presence. Rounding about, he noted that his men were watching silently, respectfully—uncomfortably. And yet Wei would not stop; his wails filled the air, shattering some glass in the air.

And though he was a strong man, Yao wanted to weep himself.

At a tip of his head, Wei was returned to him, and China held him firmly, away from the stranger; he loathed the idea, but could not deny the look of hatred in both brothers' eyes, as Wei stopped screaming. Choked with stifled tears, he strode to Liu Bei and gave the new boy to him.

Time ticked once, and his heart with it; shaving his voice so that it was even, Yao said, "This is my brother, and your kingdom." Gasps fluttered from behind; ignoring them, he added, gently, "This is also Wei's brother.

"Shu."

...

**_PT: Here comes Shu. –Flails- Um...and for those who don't know, Zhao Yun was a Tiger general of the Shu kingdom, one of the Wu Hu Jiang. His courtesy name was Zilong; Zi, meaning child, or son; Long, meaning dragon. Ah, and poor, neglected Dong Wu._**


	8. 东吴

_Disclaimer: What a story, Mark._

...

China remembered Diao Chan. Or whatever her face said.

There was a girl, he remembered, of impeccable beauty—and she was downfall. As most women were prone to being, he thought, as long as they looked as she did. He remembered vaguely the great warrior Lu Bu, who slaughtered his stepfather Dong Zhuo; and good riddance, Yao thought, with a wince of pain. Killing for Diao Chan, who then disappeared with the wind.

With a sigh, he stroked Red Hare, his faithful red Chi Tu. Chi Tu glowed like coal, alight in flames. Even now, touching the cold hair, it burned his fingertips.

"Where have you come from?" he murmured, reaching for the shy boy. But the child, little older than Shu, flinched. Yao withdrew, not taking his eyes off of him. So this was him. What Sun Jian had left Sun Ce, what Sun Ce had left Sun Quan. Now finally come to life, Nuwa's clay creation; Yao silently wailed at her, for pressing together these kingdoms. He also cried at her, for shifting distinction between bai xing and the upper class—had she known her delicately crafted men would grow corrupt, and drink in this madness?

The little boy spoke to Yao, and the old nation had only heaven to thank for the absence of Shu and Wei, gone with their people—oh, _their _people, and not his? Yao shook his head, listening to the child's softly-spoken words—he had reddish hair and eyes so unsteadily black, that they were near to blue; he crafted his speech gingerly: "I am...Dong Wu..."

He fell silent, not knowing what else to say; Yao lifted him, though Wu nearly squealed, with the way his lips parted in surprise. "Dong Wu?" Yao gave him a small smile; the boy was gentle as Shu had become, he was sure. Then he frowned. Was there...no...

It couldn't be.

Yao paused, unsteady; what was he to say now? He bit his lip, and Chi Tu nickered behind him. "You are...a boy...correct?"

Dong Wu flinched. "Yes."

Yao paused once more, not knowing what else to say. "Dong Wu..."

Wu looked away, reddening; clearly, even he...

But Yao pulled him closer, eyes closing. Did it...yes, it did matter... "But...," he said with a sigh, "you are still my brother."

...

**_PT: Historical notes—Nuwa Niang Niang is a snake goddess, said to have created human life by pressing little people together with clay, after Kua Fu broke from his sphere and died from the exertion it took._**

**_- And I—I dunno, I talked with kecen and...based off her idea of Wu's gender...I thought...I'd like to make Dong Wu genderly-confused. –Shot- I imagine him to have been younger than Shu, as statistics go, but to have been developing before the other two kingdoms; and Shu is almost Yao's own attempt, like an aftermath of the Han Dynasty._**

**_- And Diao Chan is one of the Four Classical Beauties of China, but her existence is very questionable. Her name could not have been likely to exist at the time, but perhaps her character is based off that of a concubine that caused a rift between Dong Zhuo and his foster son Lu Bu, for that is her significance in the Romance of Three Kingdoms. Chi Tu—Red Hare-Rabbit—was given to Lu Bu as a bribe, for him to ally with Dong Zhuo and betray his former one; then Cao Cao executed Lu Bu and took Chi Tu for himself, then gave him to Guan Yu as a gift while the latter had to serve under him. Guan Yu then used Chi Tu to ride out and rejoin his brothers, and the horse was his thusly. And then...Lu Meng... Chi Tu was a fast horse who, according to the romance, literally glowed red like a freaking coal. Or ember, which would describe it better, I believe. I can imagine Yao riding Chi Tu..."D And I still feel really bad about skipping over the whole Diao Chan and Lu Bu thing._**


	9. 六臂

_Disclaimer: I just like to watch you guys. :D_

...

Wei liked to write. Yao found that he was gifted with the brush, as the kingdom grew. Perhaps it was all the time spent with Cao Cao, for Mengde was a poet; his way of the hanzi, set down on rice and fields. And his hanyu—the white horse riding...Yao was darkly amused, for the man wrote; the ruthless man wrote.

Wei liked to move. To simply move, and to practice wu; the martial art, of flying without wings; oh, Wei flew, and he flew high, high into the sky; his fist was long, and his heel iron. And once, just once, when practicing in a courtyard, he struck Yao down, fist quaking as his Da Ge fell.

For a moment, he froze, unsure of what to do—victory over Da Ge?—unheard of!

But Yao, stunned, shook it away with a smile; he stared up at the sky and its clouds in blue, blinking, and thinking of the fist, the outstretched fist that had knocked him down, right to the ground. He had not even had the time to curl his body, so his head flew back on the stone. A moment, and he was dead while living.

Was that fear in Wei's eyes?

Blinking once more, Yao revived and rose; his ward jumped back, and Yao eyed the shadow at his chin, stubble; he was to be a man.

One more blink; and so he spoke, staring at the face of Cao Wei, gaping mouth and starlight eyes; "You, Wei Di, will be the death of me." With a laugh, he clapped the boy—man, over the shoulder. There was a thrill of pride and a rush of fear as Wei's nervousness broke, and the kingdom laughed with him.

...

**_PT: I was so incredibly lacking in inspiration that I actually turned on Li Shi De Tian Kong on._**

**_- Wu refers to martial arts. To practice martial arts means "lian wu." There are also other ways to say the same basic thing—"da Gong Fu," "lian gong," and so on._**

**_- Wei Di. "Di" means younger brother, but another character pronounced as such would mean lord. Make of that what you will._**


	10. 站直

_Disclaimer: You think of everything._

...

Guan Yu asked for three terms, when he was left with the enemy. Yao watched each count ticked on his meaty fingers, scarred and powerful:

Guan Yunchang submits to Xian Di and Xian Di only—_the puppet emperor, who was so capable as a younger boy—_

The two wives of Liu Bei, left behind with Guan Yunchang, because Liu Bei had to flee, would not be harmed, and are to be treated with the dignity befitting them.

Guan Yunchang will leave for his xiong di Liu Bei if he ever chances upon his whereabouts; he will be allowed to.

Beside Yao, Wei reached out, touching China's hand, for the briefest moment, squeezing slightly; Yao shot a look at the kingdom, and the nod he received was slight. After Guan Yu had gone from his sight, to quarters with the wives of Liu Bei—a tweak of shame Yao did not intervene in—Wei pulled China into a corner.

"See how he is so proud, Da Ge," murmured the kingdom.

"And?" Yao prompted.

"Do you not think he is arrogant?"

Yao blinked, puzzled, before saying, "No."

"I think he is," said Wei, casting his eyes at the general's quarters. "He is dignified and powerful, like a god, but he is proud. Do you not think, Da Ge?" he adds.

Yao took heed of the kingdom's words and looked in that direction as well. His eyes widened. "Look!" he said softly.

Guan Yu had taken his post before the quarters, outside, standing. He stood with eyes closed, as if meditating, or dead upright. In his hand was the Qing Long Yan Yue Dao; he stood guard, a sleeping dragon with outstretched claws. Within the building, the wives of Liu Bei slept on.

Wei smiled and nodded, eyes narrowing.

...

**_PT: That...was a long delay ._. –shot- But yeah. At this point, I have plunged into the –romance- instead of just the records, so I will have the fabled Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles. The force Liu Bei was in had to retreat after blows from Cao Cao, and in that haste Guan Yu and Liu Bei's two wives were left behind. And this was how it went. Guan Yu and the wives were to sleep in the same quarters, and you can imagine how it would foil his reputation if he'd agreed. So instead, he stood outside the whole, long friggin' night._**


	11. 赤兔

_Disclaimer: Thanks, Johnny._

...

Cao Cao gifted Guan Yu with maidens and a seal—for Boma, for slaying Yan Liang and putting his head upon the ground, so that one could pick it up and sell the meat in market. The steeds of Hebei had nothing on the man, as he slashed once, and blood gushed from an empty neck, unstopped. Even those majestic horses, neighing and charging, could only watch him, resplendent in his own right. Because joking is not allowed in the army, because Guan Yu proved a joke a fact, he was then Marquis of Han Shou Ting.

"These are yours," Yao told him, gesturing at the maids. The girls smiled and knelt, giggling and not quite. Guan Yu's eyes flickered, and this was the first time Yao saw him surprised. But he composed himself quickly, stroking his beard—it was so long.

"I have no use for them," he replied at last.

"Mengde insists," Yao replied. Wei, on the other side of the courtyard, shot him a look, as if wondering—was Da Ge favoring him? But Yao did not look at him. He only went on until the next day. Or the day after?—or was it merely that night?—time passed, and he stared blankly, curious with observing the new marquis.

He was, however, the one who led Chi Tu out, Chi Tu who looked more chi than tu. And when Guan Yu saw the chi tu horse, his eyes gleamed, and Yao believed that it was out of joy; Yunchang turned and bowed to Mengde, then to Yao, and Yao felt gratified for the first time in a long time. His eyes smoldered, and Yao saw noted the burn.

Wei blinked.

And the question was asked—"Why do you bow, for this horse, and not the maidens or the title?"

Like the swallow that would exist only centuries later, he replied, "Because, when the time comes, this shall make my ride back to my xiong di all the more faster."

...

**_PT: I altered the dialogue a bit...from the actual romance...yeah. Even though I gave a forewarning, I still feel bad for not updating in so long._**


	12. 发火

_Disclaimer: Tell me._

_..._

"Yunchang is leaving," China said softly.

He felt that snow should be falling, cold and hard and bitter. Yet so soft, all a-flutter.

He watched as Cao Cao tried to stop him. He offered Yunchang gifts. The finest robes, gold. Treasures. Anything to make him stay. Offered him gifts imperial yellow.

"It is an awful lot like bribery, isn't it, Xiao Wei?" And there was no reply, for the eyes of Wei were hard and gem-like, glittering in a light they held on their own. Watched as Guan Yu cast the robes into the dust, as easily as if he was dropping rubbish into the river.

"The only gift he takes is Chi Tu, to return to his brothers," Yao continued, his murmuring the water over pebbles, flowing through the ears of Wei. "When, Cao Wei, will you return to yours?"

And together, they watched the retreating back riding off into the distance. Into the journey of a thousand miles.

It was only at night, away from the eyes of the court, that Wei struck his brother, unfilial, unloving, a burst of frustrated fire.

"Why, Da Ge?" Wei yelled, his sleeves flying away from Yao. Yao held his cheek, felt the warmth of the sting. "Why must it be this way?"

_What way?_

Yao shook his head, bitterly.


End file.
